On 16 July, former Iraqi Minister Baqr Jaber al-Zubeidi claimed Islamic State (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is hiding in Libya. Al-Zubeidi suggests ISIS has shifted it focus to North Africa in an attempt to establish a new caliphate in the region. This follows a series of rumours that Baghdadi is hiding in Badiya Al-Sham in Syria, Iraq’s Rutbah district and in Libya. None of allegations have been substantiated by government officials.